BCP teams at both Poole Park and Upton Country Park are celebrating after receiving a coveted Green Flag Award, the international quality mark for parks and green spaces. This comes as the internationally recognised standard for parks and green spaces celebrates its 30th year.
Across the BCP area, parks and green spaces play a vital role for people in providing safe, accessible places to relax, boost wellbeing, exercise, socialise and improve the quality of life. Achieving the Green Flag Award highlights the hard work and dedication of the teams that maintain the parks and green spaces to create enjoyable spaces for a diverse range of users to visit and to utilise in a variety of ways, while supporting local wildlife and habitat conservation.
Cllr Andy Hadley, Portfolio Holder with responsibility for parks and gardens, said:
“It’s wonderful news that Upton Country Park and Poole Park have once again achieved the Green Flag Award.
“This would not have been possible without the commitment and hard work of our wonderful staff and volunteers who manage and maintain these important local green spaces and parks. We’re lucky to have hundreds of dedicated and hard-working volunteers who give up their time to get involved in many ways from gardening, greeting and supporting visitors to conservation work and carrying out wildlife surveys.”
“BCP Council is very proud of its green spaces and natural environment. We are fortunate to live in an area that is rich in unique habitats and offers residents and visitors the opportunity to connect with nature and these spaces which is key to improving quality of life for all people. We are committed to protecting and enhancing all these areas for residents, visitors and wildlife now, and so they can be enjoyed by many generations to come.”
The Green Flag Award scheme is managed under license from the UK Government’s Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy. The scheme was launched in 1997; it recognises and rewards well-managed parks and green spaces, setting the benchmark standard for their management across the United Kingdom and around the world.
To achieve Green Heritage Site Accreditation, winners have to understand and take action to conserve the heritage value of their site. They also need to help people to understand and enjoy its unique history, from nationally important parks to local green spaces that help tell the story of places and communities.